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  PHOENIX

  QUEEN’S AVATAR: BOOK 1

  By T.S. ALEXANDER

  SYNOPSIS

  They went to the stars in search of Earth-like planets. They found life. They had the perfect First Contact. They are even planning the first extra-solar colony. But do they really understand the world they came to conquer?

  Two worlds are about to collide. And what seems to be strangely familiar may not be familiar at all.

  Peter Jeffries is no action hero. He’s just a regular guy, to the extent astronauts can be considered regular guys. A hyperspace expert who accidentally joined the landing team, recommended by an obscure academic qualification.

  Liz Hamilton is a firebrand, a starry-eyed idealist. She’s prepared to make friends and fight for them tooth and claw, damn the consequences.

  Beyond her unassuming looks, Ellandra Sen’Dorien is the ultimate powerhouse. She has guarded the Haillar Dominion since the dawn of time.

  Together two humans and a queen must turn the tables against an ancient, implacable foe. And in doing so, they will all end up reinventing themselves.

  PHOENIX

  This book is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this series are fictional and any resemblance with real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

  PHOENIX and The Haillar Metaverse are copyright © 2019 by T.S. Alexander, all rights reserved under US and International copyright conventions.

  This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the author, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. The use of characters and concepts specific to The Haillar Metaverse is not allowed without author’s written consent.

  For permission requests, please contact the author via email at:

  [email protected]

  Cover image: Shutterstock, Inc, SSTK-08D8F-01CA, license up to 500,000 copies.

  Published via Amazon KDP, December 2019.

  Credits:

  My heartfelt thanks to Bob Springett for the hours spent reviewing this book and for his valuable feedback. Without him this novel would not have been what it is.

  Contents

  Title Page

  SYNOPSIS

  HAILLAR QUEENS – CURRENT AVATARS

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  HAILLAR HISTORY

  HAILLAR QUEENS – CURRENT AVATARS

  Ellandra Ashar Sen’Dorien: Queen of Chaos, the only Avatar currently present in the Aldeean Citadel.

  Astrid Reith Sen’Dorien: Queen of Order, co-ruler of the House Dorien and sister queen to Ellandra. Currently managing the Chaos/Order dichotomy and House Dorien’s affairs.

  Allisa Asturien Sen’Vollar: Queen of Light, one of the three current serving members of the Sen’Haillar Council.

  Eniad Lorien Sen’Vollar: Queen of Darkness, currently engaged on the Wall in one of the sectors neighbouring Aldeea.

  Aerdig Tourin Sen’Galahad: Queen of Fire, currently managing House Galahad’s holdings, in a sector remote from Aldeea.

  Eurid Favriel Sen’Galahad: Queen of Frost, another serving member of the Sen’Haillar Council.

  Reissa Ethun Sen’Shahar: Queen of Life, currently coordinating the search of a cure/defence against the Scourge.

  Neun Norian Sen’Shahar: Queen of Oblivion, formal Suzerain of the sector including Aldeea, currently managing House Shahar’s affairs and household troops.

  Darian Faun Sen’Diessa: Queen of Spirit, the third serving member of the Sen’Haillar Council.

  Tellar Oriel Sen’Diessa: Queen of Matter, also engaged on the Wall, on the other side of the Aldeean sector.

  Ossana Niam Sen’Aesir: Queen of Lore, formal keeper of the Sen’Haillar records, and informally head of the Haillar judiciary.

  Yallona Verdid Sen’Aesir: Queen of Dreams, also called the Spymaster Queen, the Sen’Haillar effectively in charge of information and counter-information activities.

  “For those of you who never ceased to dream …”

  CHAPTER 1

  The kestrel soars majestically into the dark sky.

  I’m standing on the Citadel wall listening to the sound of waves splashing on the rocks below. I love the sea on a quiet summer night, it gives me a feeling of tranquillity. I’ve done it thousands of times, over hundreds of lifetimes, on hundreds of worlds. I need all the peace I can find.

  I, Ellandra Ashar Sen’Dorien, Queen of Chaos, Protector of the Haillar.

  Tonight, will be perfect for the Festival of Life. The wind barely makes ripples over the water, the right breeze to blow pilgrims’ multicoloured globes high into the sky and out over the sea. Night stars and a calm sea, the ideal background for the tribute offered by thousands of revellers in the streets below. I can see the first lights. It’s nearly time.

  The sound of steps approaching confirms the late-night hour. I don’t need to turn to recognise Aleen. We’ve been close since I joined the Citadel, our physical ages almost the same.

  “Good Festival to you, Avatar!”

  “Good Festival to you, dear friend!”

  I turn around, leaving behind the tapestry of stars. The Festival is about to begin. Aleen needs not say it, we hear each other with few words. It’s not the mental link two adepts can form, but it’s as close of a connection as I can get with the Haillar. Sometimes the bond of friendship can be even stronger than an eka connection.

  We fall in step and descend the stairs to the inner gardens. Spring has come, the trees and flowers are in bloom. During the day the gardens are quite busy, during nights too, now that I think about it. Not tonight though. It is the Festival time and the Haillar gather on the Citadel esplanade, overflowing into the neighbouring streets.

  We navigate the silent alleys, pebbles scrunching under our feet. Torches every fifty steps cast lights and shadows playing across flower beds and patches of trees.

  “Would you perform during the ceremony, Ellandra? Many arrived at the Citadel hoping to see you. It has been so since you joined us, on every Festival.”

  At least I get this unwanted attention only during Festivals, two nights per cycle. Most of the time we are private people, Sen’Haillar and Haillar alike, but an Avatar performing on a Festival night is apparently much too exciting. The Sen’Haillar presence on Aldeea is small, less than ten adepts in residence counting myself. My added presence accounts for the increase in pilgrim turnover over the past few cycles.

  “I’ll try to find balance, tonight more than ever,” I respond.

  Respecting Sen’Haillar ceremony and pleasing the pilgrims can be tricky. Aldeea is a Sen’Shahar fief to begin with, so Dioran, the local Chapter Master, represents the Queen of Oblivion and normally performs the Festival openings. As a visiting Avatar I joined to the festivities five cycles ago and became part of them ever since. To further confuse things, tonight is t
he night Leira of the House of Spirit will come into power and it is only fitting she would join the opening.

  For a small group of adepts guarding the Wall, we do tend to over-complicate things. I would gladly take a back seat and enjoy the festivities, but that would offend our Haillar hosts. But I can showcase Leira while remaining in background. It’s her big night after all.

  We reach the gate where the attending guard ushers us in with a polite nod. I don’t know his name, he’s probably a new joiner. Galard Telimon, the head of Aldeean military, likes to rotate recruits between citadel guard, training and frontier duty. Citadel guard is mostly ceremonial, doubly so during a Festival night. No marauders or thieves would dare to assault the fortress, not with all adepts present for the ceremonies.

  We enter Citadel proper, using one of the back doors. The Grand Entrance is by now prepared for the Festival opening and surrounded by thousands of pilgrims. The corridors are busy, guards and servants running back and forth with last minute chores. A tall officer waves us to the council rooms.

  “The Warden is expecting you, Avatar. You too, cousin.”

  I hurry in at a dignified pace, joining Warden Kleist’s impromptu gathering in the council room. All his three Advisors are already present. Remelda Sen’Shahar arrives too, with Leira, the novice, in tow.

  “Happy Festival to you, Queen Sen’Dorien!”, Alon officially greets me. We are normally on a first name basis, but tonight is a special time and formalities must be observed. “May you do us the honour to open the ceremony.”

  I’m just a visitor on Aldeea, but I’m expected to follow the protocol.

  My reply is equally rehearsed. We’ve been through this exact same sequence few times during the last five cycles.

  “You honour me, Warden of Aldeea! I will summon the Light, and the Chapter Master would make the calling. I also invite Leira to join me in celebrating Life.”

  Dioran Sen’Shahar nods in approval. Adding Leira to the festivities is a special event tonight, as it signifies her coming of age and joining the ranks of Sen’Haillar. Normally the Chapter Master performs the summoning together with the young Adept, but in this case my visiting presence already complicates the order of things.

  Dioran would do the calling on behalf of Norian Sen’Shahar, Aldeea’s nominal queen, but he gave up the actual summoning to me five cycles ago. I plan my own surprise for Leira later, during the ceremony itself.

  “I’m honoured to join you, my Lady,” mumbles Leira. This is strictly speaking incorrect, as her affinity is Spirit and the Queen of her House is a Sen’Diessa. Nevertheless, because I volunteered to help her path to accession and worked together over the past two cycles, I feel a strong connection. I feel like her second Queen, may Darian Sen’Diessa forgive me.

  Leira is clearly emotional. There are at least twenty thousand people outside on the esplanade alone. All of them are waiting for the start of the Festival. All of them are waiting for our performance.

  Warden Kleist takes the lead, the Haillar Advisors follow. Dioran and Remelda, Leira’s teacher, are next. They share the same House name but come from two different sides of the Life/Oblivion Dichotomy. Remelda is a Healer who leads the Healing Academy on Aldeea. Dioran’s Affinity is Oblivion and his allegiance is to the Suzerain Queen of this place. Other than House affiliation they have no other connection, and each of them is celibate to my knowledge.

  I’m next together with Leira. Ours is the third place in the ceremony, the summoning pair. Leira is biting her lips, but she straightens her back, and falls in step. Aleen leaves us and joins the organising team.

  A platoon of Haillar guards led by Davin Kleist follows us. A bit of harmless favouritism from the Warden toward his firstborn, offering him a prime seat to the festivities.

  We exit the Grand Entrance and climb the steps to the platform raised in view of the ceremony. In front of us the esplanade is full to the capacity, thousands of Haillar holding coloured, luminescent globes. The murmur of thousands more comes from the streets further back. There must be close to a hundred thousand pilgrims in the Citadel, boosting the ranks of the local population. Each one of them holding his Festival globe. Each one of them treasuring his fondest wishes, praying for life and happiness.

  The Warden raises his hand and silence descends on the esplanade. The crowd gathered in the adjacent streets can’t see his sign and they take their hints from people standing on the boulevard.

  The air is perfectly still. Time stops for a moment.

  “Tonight, we begin a new cycle of life. Tonight, we celebrate our ancestors and pray for our children. Tonight, we whisper our wishes and send them to the stars.”

  This is the standard opening statement from the head of the Haillar families to his kin. In other times, in other places, I’ve witnessed flourished speeches and heroic pronouncements. Not in the Aldeean Citadel, not now, not by Alon. Aldeeans, from Warden to the humblest herder, are a crusty lot, not prone to grandiose embellishments. But they take their traditions seriously, otherwise they will not be living on the Wall in one of the most exposed sectors.

  It’s Chapter Master’s Dioran turn to follow, with the vows for Queen Norian, Aldeea’s suzerain:

  “Tonight, we reaffirm the oaths to follow you, Suzerain Queen. Tonight, she reaffirms the oaths to protect and defend you. Tonight, the entire Sen’Haillar vow to stand by you.”

  “Tonight, we swear!” respond one hundred thousand voices as one.

  The next part is not scripted, as it pertains to Leira joining the Sen’Haillar. Remelda introduces her:

  “We witness the coming of age of Leira Delmon, and her adoption into the House of Spirit as Leira Sen’Diessa. She joins tonight as the newest sister of the Aldeean Chapter, the Sen’Haillar dedicated to serve Aldeea, to serve you.”

  There is no need for her Sen’Haillar teachers to stand formal witness to Leira’s eka aptitudes, no need for an academic ordeal. There is a reason the coming of age happens during Festivals and the test is public, for everyone to see. There can be no doubt the newly recognised Adept has the power and control required to manipulate eka. In times of crisis lives may depend on this.

  Having to perform the ceremony together with me is no favour for Leira. In theory, working with a queen guarantees access to more power, though power is seldom the issue in such events. The problem is that my affinity is Chaos. In fact, as a queen I’m the highest-ranking Chaos practitioner in Sen’Haillar by a fair margin. Leira’s is Spirit, an affinity that works well with Sen’Diessa and Sen’Aesir aspects, but difficult to control if merged with more destructive ones such as Chaos or Oblivion. We practiced the meld, as any adept needs to be able to work with any of the others, but this is a rather large public summoning and Leira would want to be perfect. It will be perfect. I have my own solution for this.

  Dioran Sen’Shahar calls us:

  “As in the past cycles, we are honoured by the visit of Queen Ellandra Ashar Sen’Dorien. As the ranking adept present tonight, we call upon the Queen to perform the Summoning. The newest addition to our ranks Leira Sen’Diessa will join her.”

  Here comes the fun! For any Sen’Haillar, manipulating the fabric of the world brings a feeling of elation. The challenge for new users is controlling this elation, and implicitly eka, and not being controlled by it.

  I raise my hands shoulder level and project a wave of force tendrils. I can see them as serpents of light of an ever-shifting hue, the mark of Chaos. Next to me Leira does the same. Her filaments of light are monochromatic, a cerulean blue, almost pure Spirit. I extend my right hand and take Leira’s left. Her grip is strong, be it for confidence or nerves.

  For the people gathered in front of us we are two silhouettes holding hands, standing on the ceremonial platform. The spectacle of light we project is usually only visible to the Sen’Haillar involved, the two of us. There is an exception to this rule, and I intend to make this exception my gift for Leira’s night.

  We start melding, joining our powe
rs to influence the physical world together. Leira’s blue tendrils swirl together with mine. As expected, my Chaos starts playing tricks to the melding. Leira concentrates and fights back, keeping her side of the meld. I grab my multi-hued tendrils and begin pulling out unwanted aspects, starting with Chaos. I may be a strong Chaos user, but to a lesser extent I can manipulate any of the other aspects, all of us do. It’s just that one aspect is strong, the Affinity, while the others are orders of magnitude weaker. A few orders less, this would bring me close to Leira’s strength.

  Progressively my tendrils gain colour, a different shade of blue than Leira’s. I pull out all eka except for Matter, the Sen’Diessa aspect complementary to Spirit. In the end we reach a balanced melding. Balanced in power, but also balanced in affinity, a perfect blend of Spirit and Matter. Leira’s Spirit melded with my Matter.

  Having achieved a perfect Dichotomy, our force manifestation becomes visible to everybody. The pilgrims would see us surrounded by a blue haze, the centre of a cascade of luminous tendrils reaching in the most remotes corners of the Citadel.

  For the final part of the summoning, we touch each of the globes held by the onlookers. We push up, and a sea of coloured spheres rise on a wave of blue light into the sky. It is the highest point of the Festival, the Haillar prayers rising to the stars. The breeze pushes the host of luminous globes over the water. Now, millions of reflections enhance our rising cloud of hope. It looks to spread from stars to the bottom of the sea, a glimmering curtain of colour and light.

  Leira’s eyes are shining. I think mine are shining too.

  We drop the melding and the cloud slowly dissipates. The lights fade and invisible to all but us, gathered eka flows back towards pilgrims and blesses each one of them. It is only a tiny amount, no major working, but it will make each person more resilient and joyful over the coming ten-days.

  The revellers keep one more moment of silence as a sign of respect, then they disperse into the Citadel. Music erupts in the lower quarters, singing and dancing expected to continue well into the night.